Human Powers
by PFTones3482
Summary: Star decides she's putting Marco in too much danger after a battle with Ludo and she tries to run away, only to be stopped by the same boy she's trying to protect. Friendship, definitely hints of Starco. Rated K plus for fighting and such. One-shot.


**I wish this show had more of a following. I know it just premiered, but still. Some angst, Star and Marco bonding. Not quite Starco, but it's getting there. **

**I don't own Star vs. the Forces of Evil.**

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GENERAL POV

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Marco Diaz was known as the safe kid in school for many reasons. Some of those reasons involved exploding chemistry beakers, slipping in locker rooms, or even just spilling hot soup down the front of his shirt at lunch.

As much as he protested it, Marco Diaz was safe. He was only human, after all. He didn't have special powers. So of course he liked to stay as cautious as possible.

To an extent, of course.

He didn't think that doing a double backflip off the horned head of a six eyed monster with a flaming axe and massive bludgeon would be considered safe by anyone, but there he was, doing it anyway.

Marco landed with a hard jolt on the ground, placing his hand against the sooty pavement to steady himself, and looked up at the monster, tensing his muscles to jump again.

The monster who Marco had just kicked solidly in the head blinked in confusion, his eyes creating a ripple effect, and then he teetered to the ground, knocking himself out cold with his own club.

Marco snorted and stood up straight, glancing around for the next attacker. The majority of Ludo's forces had been defeated, either by his impressive karate or getting blasted in the face by laser puppies from Star's wand.

Speaking of the princess….

Marco whipped around, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of six last attackers surrounding his friend. She was locked in an intense game of tug-of-war with Ludo, desperately trying to yank her wand back. How the tiny cretin had gotten a hold of the stick, Marco had no idea. But the Latino did know that he needed to help.

"Let…go!" Star was shouting as he sprinted over.

Ludo sneered, snapping his head around to grin wickedly. "Not a chance, Star! Men, get him!" he yelled, jerking his head at Marco.

The boy squealed to a halt as five of the massive monsters turned on him, sneering and clutching clubs, swords, and axes in their hands. Marco gulped and leveled himself into a fighting stance, trying to push off just how tired he already was.

They charged him, and for three minutes, everything was a blur to the young teenage earthling. He knew he was hitting and kicking the enemy, but he didn't know how much of a gain he was getting on them.

The fantasy that he was winning snapped when he was grabbed violently and thrown against a nearby car, smacking his head against the passenger side window and shattering the glass. His vision went black for a moment and when Marco regained his sight, he was in the grip of two of the monsters and he could feel something warm, probably blood, trickling down the back of his neck.

"Now," Ludo shrieked in delight. "Let me have the wand, Star Butterfly, or I'll have my henchmen snap your friends neck!'

He said it with glee, but Star's face had gone ashen gray and she looked up at Marco, her face a mask of horror. She had never considered the possibility that Marco would get hurt in these battles; he was so fast, so adept, so conscious of what he was doing at all times. She trusted him with her life and had never thought that he might get killed because he tried to protect her.

Marco scowled at Ludo and looked at Star, well aware of the monsters around him. "Don't you dare give it to him, Star."

A large hand clamped down on his head and Marco shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut. Star felt her heart stop as she saw the fear written on his face, and she could see him struggling not to cry, not to panic. She knew Marco didn't want to die. She didn't want him to either. He was just an earth kid, he didn't deserve it.

He glanced at her again, his eyes scared but determined. "Star….there's no way out of this. A sucking portal can't help in this case."

His face twitched and he tilted his chin at Ludo with implied meaning. Star blinked in surprise but nodded slowly. "Come on Star," Marco said with a sigh. "_Give it to him._"

A slow smirk spread on Star's face and she nodded again. With one fast move, she ripped the wand from Ludo's grasp, held it up, and shouted "Evil henchmen portal suck!"

Marco gritted his teeth as the portal opened up under them and the henchmen holding him were all but torn from the earth. At the last second, a firm hand grabbed Marco's wrist and Star yanked him from the portal and onto the pavement before shutting the swirling vortex.

She turned to glare at Ludo, who was staring at the ground in open-mouthed devastation. "Well, Ludo? Anything else?"

The tiny mastermind scowled and yanked out his inter dimensional scissors. "No," he grumbled, tearing open a portal. "Let's go, you stupid heads," he growled to the somewhat conscious attackers still on the ground.

He glared at Star as they retreated. "This isn't over, Star Butterfly. I will get that wand!" he shouted, vanishing into the other dimension.

The portal sealed and Marco sighed in relief. He turned to Star and smiled. "Thanks. Ready to go home?" he asked, touching the back of his head to find a tiny cut that was already healing.

Star smiled, though her gaze was distant. "You know it."

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The door creaked quietly in the late night air, and Star Butterfly shivered as she stepped outside and was hit with a cool breeze. She pulled the door shut behind her quietly and paused for a moment, resting her forehead on the wood and adjusting the backpack slung over her shoulders.

The girl straightened up and turned around, nearly screaming as she came face to face with Marco, who was standing in the yard with his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face. "What the heck are you doing?" he demanded.

Star glanced around, but could see no way out, so she sighed and slumped against the door. "Leaving," she finally said.

Marco let his arms fall to his sides and his eyes glimmered with concern and hurt. "Why?"

Star winced and sank down onto the back steps, dropping the backpack to the side and leaning her elbows on her knees, resting her chin in her hand. Marco sank down next to her and leaned forward to look at her face. "Star?"

"To protect you," she mumbled, refusing to meet his gaze.

Marco blinked, not certain he had heard her correctly. "Pardon?"

Star sighed in exasperation and leaned back, staring up at the stars in the sky and picking out Ursa Major relatively quickly. "I'm leaving to protect you," she said to the bear, feeling the quiver in her voice. She swallowed it and shook her head. "I almost got you killed today. If you hadn't thought of the sucking portal….you wouldn't be here."

There was a long silence and Star forced herself to keep staring at the constellations in the sky, somewhat amazed they were so visible in a city like this. She should have known that Marco would be aware of what she was doing. It was hard to get much past him, especially after he had gotten used to watching out for Ludo.

"Star," said the boy softly, pursing his lips when he got no response. "Star. Look at me."

The princess sighed and lowered her gaze, turning her face to look at him. He stared back at her, his eyes glinting in the moonlight and his face etched with shadows. Star gulped and glanced down slightly, blushing. "What?" she finally whispered.

Marco reached out and gripped her chin with two warm fingers, pulling her around to face him again. "You know I'd give myself up for you," he said, his look sincere. "I care about you. You didn't almost get me killed. I chose to go help you. It was my choice."

"I should have given Ludo the wand," she protested softly, trying hard to calm her heart as she stared him in the eye. She wasn't quite sure what he was doing to her with those deep, chocolate brown eyes. She didn't know humans had any power over people in their eyeballs. She had thought they were powerless (at least, after learning about electricity she had). So she wasn't quite sure why she couldn't look away.

"No," Marco said firmly, his lips setting in a firm line that Star found she also couldn't look away from. What weird magic was he using? "If you had given him the wand, you know we would both be dead, and so would the people in your kingdom. Star, you did the right thing. I care about you and don't want to see you get hurt."

Star felt her lips tremble and she pulled away from his grip, trying to fight the tears in her eyes. "Is killing you the right thing?" she hissed, her chin quivering. "Because if it is, I want to do the wrong thing."

Marco sat back for a moment and stared at her, his brown sugar gaze digging into her soul. "Star…"

She shook her head and looked away. "Marco, I care about you too. I didn't come here to get people killed. I don't want to see you get hurt because of me," she choked out, finally letting the tears run free. "It's not worth it."

Marco gently gripped her shoulders and turned her around, pulling the girl into a tight hug and letting her collapse against his chest and sob. He pushed back the lump in his own throat and whispered into her ear. "You're worth it. You're definitely worth it."

They stayed like that for several minutes, crying softly into each other's shoulders and reveling in the fact that the other was okay. Finally, Marco stood up, pulling Star with him. He leaned over and picked the backpack off the ground, slinging it over his own shoulder. He bit his lip and rested a hand on Star's cheek for a moment. "Please stay? I don't want you to go, and I'm sure my parents wouldn't either."

Star gave a thin smile and looked down at her feet. "Okay. Okay, I'll stay. Just promise to be careful."

Marco leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek. It was a quick, caring peck, but Star felt her heart stutter at the touch and her throat went dry. How many unknown powers did the humans have?

"I promise."

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**Reviews would be fun. I hope this fandom becomes more popular. It's an adorable show. **


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